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A Masters Degree in Nursing Administration: A Confusing Array of Titles

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Click To A List Of Schools Offering Masters In Nursing Administration

Nursing administration may one of the clearest job functions in health care, but you would never know it to look at the confusing array of master’s degrees that all claim to prepare you for this career path. Looking around that the available online degrees in this specialty will turn up an array of masters programs with with titles like these:

  • Nurse administrator
  • Nursing leadership and administration
  • Management and organizational leadership
  • Executive leadership
  • Nursing management

Nurse Administrator Degrees Reviewed

The truth is that, generally, there are not overwhelmingly large differences in these types of programs. While one may provide more courses on budgeting and financial issues, another may focus on personnel management and policy development. If you have a super-specific idea of the type of job you want to move up to in nursing, you may gravitate towards on of these particular subject areas. However, you’ll find that the “core” courses you will take in all of these programs will be quite similar.

Virtually all masters in nursing administration will require you to do some coursework in these subjects:

  • Legal issues/ethics
  • Strategic planning
  • Personnel management/development
  • Quality and safety
  • Budgeting and finances
  • Use of information technology
  • Health care challenges/trends
  • Organizational reporting
  • Research
  • Health promotion and disease prevention
  • Conflict resolution

What does a masters in nursing administration prepare you for?

A nursing administration masters should prepare you to take on more of a management and leadership role, generally in a hospital or other larger health facility where there is a good-sized nursing staff to manage. You can expect to learn to recruit staff and then retain them, develop and implement new policies and procedures, monitor current nursing trends, plan a budget and present your plan for approval, monitor legal and ethical issues that may affect nurses, monitor safety and quality issues and, of particular importance today, use information technology in an administrative capacity. Some nurse administrators also do research projects on nursing issues.

What nursing settings can you find work in?

With a masters in nursing administration, you will be qualified to assume an administrative position in a hospital, community health setting, long term care facility, private health care organization, public safety facility or as an instructor in a nursing school/program. Your hours of work will likely be “business hours,” which will mean an end to shift work. If you succeed in getting this type of job you’ll likely see an increase in salary, but you may find yourself working longer hours.

Are You Suited to Nursing Administrative Work?

The most important qualification for being a nurse administrator is a solid first hand experience in nursing. Beyond that, it helps to be the kind of person while likes dealing with people and their concerns, much of your time will be spent solving problems, both medical and non medical, that come up with patients, nursing staff, supervisors, members of allied health disciplines, physicians and even fellow administrators. An affinity for math and numbers is important if you wish to work in a position that involves budgeting, capital expenditure and other fiscal jobs. You’re likely to find that it’s important to spend a bit more time reading to stay abreast of the current trends in recruiting, legal issues in health care, ethics and information technology than you probably have done as a shift nurse, because people will tend to look on you as the “go to” person for up to date information in these areas. Finally, having a friendly, professional and approachable personality can help make you suitable for a job in nursing administration once you have your masters degree completed.

If you feel that a masters in administrative nursing might be right for you, it doesn’t hurt to talk to someone already working in this type of job before signing up for school. Try to find a mentor and ask them to describe their duties, the advantages and disadvantages what they really like about being a nurse administrator. A mentor can help you navigate your way through choosing and enrolling in the right program, and may even act as a reference for you when you find a program.

Top Online Schools Offers Master’s In Nursing Adminstration:
Wilkes University – MS w/ major in Nursing / Minor in Nursing Management
Kaplan University – MSN Nurse Executive Leader
Southern New Hampshire University – MS Nursing, Clinical Nurse Leader
Liberty University – MS Nursing Administration

All About RN to MSN Bridge Degree Programs Online

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online RN to MSN bridge degrees requirements

If you’re an RN who does not have a bachelor’s degree, but you’d like to get one of the more senior-type nursing positions that a master’s degree can qualify you for, an RN to MSN program can potentially help you get there on a faster track.

These so called “bridge” degree programs, which allow you to compress your bachelor and master’s degree studies, are fairly unique to the nursing profession. In recent years, RN to MSN online programs have gained in popularity, as new nursing specialties have sprung up that require nurses with more advanced qualifications.

You’ll need to do some homework to locate an RN to MSN online program that fits your own particular profile. That’s because, while virtually all of them are designed to help you earn a nursing master’s on an accelerated basis, they don’t all have the same admission requirements. Also, MSN’s can be general in nature or very focused on specific tracks like nursing education or leadership. Spending some time to learn about the options can be worth the effort. If you’re able to find an accelerated RN to MSN program online that’s right for you, there’s real potential to save a great deal of time and money on your nursing master’s degree. Some rn to msn online bridge programs can be completed in three years if you study at an intensive rate. By comparison, going back to college for a full bachelor’s degree and then going to a graduate school to get your MSN is a process that can take you more than six years of full-time study to complete.

What Nursing Qualifications Do You Have Now?

The first question to research is what kind of credentials you need to enter a particular degree programs. Many of the top RN to MSN programs are designed for RNs who have an associate’s in nursing and at least two years of work experience in the field. But many will accept RNs who have a diploma rather than an associate’s. Still others are designed for RNs who have already completed a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing specialty.

If you have completed some college study that goes beyond an associate’s degree, make sure to find out about transferring credits from your old school toward your MSN. Since the basic idea of the RN to MSN degree is to accelerate the student’s studies, most schools that offer it tend to be friendly toward degree transfer. And because this type of program does include bachelor’s level study, which means a certain number of general education or humanities type courses, it’s very likely that at least some of your bachelor’s degree courses will be counted toward your MSN even if you were studying to be an English major previously.

Specializations To Pursue An RN To MSN Program In

The nursing master’s can qualify you for a management positions in a hospital or other health care facility, for certain clinical specializations or even, in some cases, to become an independent practitioner. Some popular specialties for RN to MSN degrees include:

  • Nurse Midwifery
  • Nurse Practitioner
  • Nurse Anesthetist
  • Nurse Educator
  • Nursing Informatics Specialist
  • Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
  • Adult Health Care Nurse
  • Emergency Nurse Practitioner
  • Women’s Health Care (Title X) Specialist

It’s hard to provide exact earnings numbers for MSN degree holders because they work in so many different specialties. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, an advanced practice nurse coming out of school can earn up to $90,000. per year (Source: AACN), though salaries in small health facilities in rural areas can be less than half that. Nurse anesthetists are about at the top of the earnings ladder. According to a recent article on ExploreHealthCareers.org, they can earn well over $200,000. (Many advanced nursing specialties, including nurse anesthetist, require certification in addition to a master’s degree.)

Bachelor’s Degree Questions
Be aware of two issues relating bachelor degree studies. First: if you enter an RN to MSN program with only an associate’s degree, you may not be eligible to go into all of the specialties that are open to BSN holders. Second: while most RN to MSN programs give you a bachelor’s degree along with your master’s, some do not. It’s not likely that the lack of a BSN will hinder you if you have an MSN, but it’s good to make sure that it doesn’t present an issue in the particular specialty or even the exact hospital you want to work in.

Why Not Just Get an RN to BSN?
RN to BSN programs have become extremely popular for nurses wanting to move up the career ladder. A BSN can certainly help get a nurse hired in many hospitals and clinics. But this type of degree doesn’t provide a background in leadership or management. If you’re a nurse who would like to eventually stop spending 100% of your time in direct patient care, which can become physically taxing as you get older, an MSN is more likely to qualify you for a managerial position than a nursing bachelor’s degree.

What About CNL Certification?
Many RN to MSN online programs are meant to qualify the graduate to sit for the CNL (clinical nurse leader) Certificate Exam sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The CNL is a somewhat new role in healthcare. A clinical nurse leader will oversee the care of certain specific patients, generally who tend to have complex health issues. CNLs college info on patients and evaluate care outcomes, working with doctors, pharmacists, social workers and others in the clinical care environment. This is a senior role in direct patient care and not, strictly speaking a management position. However, it can be a more intellectually challenging role with a slightly higher salary and a basic nursing position. CNL jobs can also offer some upward mobility to nurses working in hospitals where budget constraints have cut down on the number of management jobs available.